The Ultimate Sacrifice
by Sinister Spiders
Summary: On the 31st of October in 1981 Lily Potter gave her life to save her only son. But it wasn't the first time she made a sacrifice for him... Follow the stories of Lily Potter and Severus Snape in the lead up to that fateful All Hallows' Eve.
1. Lily Potter

**Lily Potter's Sacrifice**

_Sinister Spiders_

* * *

**Homecoming**

_20__th__ of November 1979_

She knocked on the door, the sounds of her drumming drowned out by the torrential rain around her. Her clothing was soaked, her hair dripping wet and plastered to her face, but none of this bothered her. It was the searing heat of her tears tracing scalding paths down her cheeks that she could feel the most. She waited in the rain, heart thundering, in front of the door at the end of the road hoping beyond all reason that he was home.

The night sky was suddenly filled with a brilliant white light, the sound of electricity crackling through the air, casting the industrial area in an eerie hue. But a moment later a clap of thunder louder than any she had hear before made her jump in fear and look around- the storm was coming closer. The heavy rain and pregnant night could hide any number of dark creatures or shadowy figures. It was too dangerous for her to be here, on her own, but she couldn't stay at home. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and Lily shuddered. She had to leave. Now.

Lily Potter turned to cast a wistful glance at the door but let out a gasp of shock at the figure unexpectedly standing in the now open entry.

"Lily?" Disbelieving; his deep baritone voice rung clear through the night and straight into her soul.

"Severus." She whispered, looking at him through eyes aching from hours of crying. He held his arms wide open and she fell into them without a second thought. "Oh Severus." She cried into his chest as he folded himself around her in a surprisingly warm embrace. And just like that, she knew she was home.

* * *

**Shattered**

_23__rd__ of November 1979_

"Lily?" James' voice echoed through the upstairs hallway of their house in Godric's Hollow, but Lily was too stunned to move or respond. His footsteps thundered down the hall and he called her name again. "Lily?" The door to the bedroom creaked open and his mop of messy black hair came into view as he peered in. "Don't scare me like that! I had no idea where you were!" She nodded mutely as he chastised her, her eyes never leaving the tip of her wand, which was shooting a stunning array of brilliant but tiny gold sparks.

Lily Potter looked up at her husband, eyebrows furrowed, and then back at her wand.

"Why is your wand doing that?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in puzzlement.

"Experior Gravida." She replied softly.

"What?" He asked taking a step towards her carefully, clearly unsure of what to make of her strange behavior. "Lily what are you talking about?"

"Experior Gravida." She repeated, slowly shaking herself out of the stupor she had fallen into. "James- I'm pregnant."

James's mouth dropped open in shock and he wide eyes darted to her stomach. She waited, breath held, for a reaction- wanting anything other than this ambivalent surprise. Then it came; he raced over to her and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the bed and twirling her around, his loud whoops filling the house with the pure sound of joy.

Despite the miraculous ball of life growing inside her and her husband's overwhelming joy a sense of dread turned her skin cold and her heart to ice.

* * *

**Purpose**

_14__th__ of August 1980_

Thick black hair. Startling bluish-green eyes. Porcelain skin. Perfectly formed miniature hands balled into fists with a grip stronger than vice. Harry James Potter.

A tear escaped Lily Potter's tightly clenched eyes her mind drifted back to the day nearly a year ago when she had fled to Spinner's End. As she remembered the terrible fight she had with James that sent her there her anger flared anew. Then, when she thought of the feeling of being in Severus's strong embrace, the anger was replaced by an overwhelming sense of longing.

It wasn't that she didn't love James- nothing could be further from the truth. But their relationship had changed in the years since they left Hogwarts. After the horrible day when Severus had called her a Mudblood she had ended their clandestine relationship; she was sick of rationalizing his elitist world view and justifying his pervasive interest in the Dark Arts. It was difficult for Lily to do that, as she did still love him, but she longer believed that they could have a future together. James, however, came along like a shooting star- radiant and filled with promises. He was charming, kind and exceedingly brave. He was the polar opposite of Severus Snape. James was everything that Severus wasn't and that was what she needed at that time.

After they left Hogwarts James's relentless bravado and inflated ego slowly returned to the level it had been in during his prime years of Hogwarts. As soon as they had joined the Order of the Phoenix he had become something that she could no longer handle. He had become just like Severus, equally as extreme, just with different opinions. He became unintentionally condescending and controlling, Lily had been his "_beautiful Muggle-born wife"_- a trophy for the cause. Despite this she still loved him, knowing that his occasional comments were borne out of the stress caused by the war and his part in it. However, the constant strain it placed on their relationship left her feeling as though they were more like brother and sister than husband and wife. There would always be a place in her heart for him; just a different one.

Lily was able to handle the occasional flippant references to blood status but when James begun to come home from his shifts with the Order and told her in jovial tones of the Death Eaters he and Sirius had cornered and tortured she barely managed to stop herself from dry-reaching. What if that was Severus that he was talking about one day? He was still a person- as all these Death Eaters were- and the fact that James was so dismissive of their humanity and willing to justify his grotesque actions as justice made her sick.

Despite the change in her Husband Lily was willing to remain with him. But everything changed on the 20th of November. She had come home early from work that day, around lunch time, and two hours before James usually arrived. There, on the kitchen table, was a letter addressed to her. The spider writing and deep green ink was just as she remembered it. Unable to help herself she rushed open and broke the seal. What if something had happened? Maybe he was hurt…

As Lily read the letter her entire body filled with burning hot rage. According to what Severus had written, this was only one of many letters that he had been sending her over the past three years since they had left Hogwarts. Three years worth of letters that she had never received. According to Severus, the last one had contained an invitation to his mother's funeral, an invitation that she had no chance to accept.

Lily spent the next two hours pulling out every draw in the house and tipping their contents onto the floor. She looked through the scattered odds, ends and ephemera frantically; hoping to find even a scrap of the many letters he had written to her. Just as she reached the final chest of draws she heard the front door open and then slam shut followed by a loud obscenity in James' rough voice. She turned and bound down the stairs two at a time, descending the two levels of their house in a blur of red and white.

"What the hell is this?" She asked, brandishing the letter at James angrily, her chest heaving with the rage that was desperate to escape from deep within her.

For three years he had burnt the letters. Every last one of them. That was why she could not find any. James Potter had taken letters addressed solely to her and banished their contents into oblivion. He told her that she was better off without '_Snivellus'_, that she was better off ignoring him completely, that he was helping her. He had taken control of a part of her life without her consent or consciousness and had presumed that he knew what she needed better than even she did. Severus had been inclined to believe that "_Magic is Might"_. James believed that "_James is Might_". Behind his sparkling veneer of a campaigner for the oppressed he was willing to engage in the very behavior he preached against.

Before she had fled from the house he had stopped her with a single question. _"What would you have done with the letters anyway?"_ He had asked. She turned to see the shadow of self-doubt and a deep-seated sense of insecurity within his eyes. _"I don't know,_" she replied acidly "_I have never had the chance to think about it."_. As the door slammed behind her she knew that what was bothering her was not the fact that he burnt the letters, but that he had unflinchingly stolen her autonomy from her.

That made Lily's mind up for her. As much as she loved James she knew that she could no longer trust him. She knew now that he didn't consider her right to freedom and choice on par with his own. With this realization the barely contained part of her heart that was dedicated to Severus, her first love, burst from it's confines with the power of a herd of wild stallions. While she didn't agree with everything Severus believed in he had never, not even once, tried to control her.

That night, on the twentieth of November, she had escaped into Severus' embrace. The next morning she returned to Godric's Hollow with the intention of getting her affairs in order so that she could leave James. She planned to tell him on the weekend. However, a mere twenty-four hours before she was going to tell him that she planned to leave him, she had discovered that she was pregnant with his child. Pregnant with the child of James Potter.

Lily Potter looked at the unbelievably tiny baby in her arms. The mirror image his father. And knew that she had the strength to return her love of Severus to its prison in the depths of her heart so that she could forgive James for his ills and love him again. She would love James again; for Harry's sake.

For Harry; she would make the ultimate sacrifice.

* * *

A/N: Written for the "What My Spouse Doesn't Know" Challenge issued by ReillyJade (on the HPFC forum). I will write a second chapter for this from Snape's perspective and upload it as soon as I get the chance.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to review and let me know what you thought of it!


	2. Severus Snape

**Lily Potter's Sacrifice**

_Sinister Spiders_

* * *

**Homecoming**

_20th__of November 1979_

He opened the door as a flash of lightning sizzled through the sky, illuminating the pouring rain outside like a million shooting stars. Amidst those stars stood a fallen angel. Her halo of red hair was soaking- plastered around her like a second skin. Her brown turtleneck and tan corduroy pants were drenched, the wettest parts dropping fat droplets of water rhythmically onto the stone doorstep beneath her.

She turned. Severus Snape felt all of the breath leave his body. The realization that she was actually there, and not a figment of his imagination, came like a physical blow.

Her emerald eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears, a waterfall of emotion that flowed down her face and mixed with the rain. _Merlin_! Severus thought; he had forgotten how beautiful she was. Even with her eyes red and puffy from crying, rain pouring down her face, she was still gorgeous. He couldn't believe that she was here, on his doorstep. As the rain pounded down around them he had to speak, had to make sure this was truly real.

"Lily?" He breathed, disbelieving.

"Severus." She whispered, the sound of his name on her lips thawed the ice within him and set his soul soaring. Without thinking he opened his arms for her and she fell into them. As soon as their body's touched the warmth between the two exploded and they melted into each other.

Severus Snape had to consciously steady himself as his knees went weak. As he held Lily Potter in his arms he was overcome with a sudden sense of rightness. Of belonging. As they stood there in each other's arms rogue droplets of rain pelted through the open door and all of the loss and longing of the past three years was washed away.

* * *

**Perpetuity**

_21__st__ of November 1979_

Severus Snape groaned and he shifted uncomfortably. Feeling as though there was a bucketload of wet sand behind his eyes he struggled to open them, only to be greeted by the bright lights of midmorning dancing through the room in too-bright rays. He blinked a few times and sat up, body cramped and sore from a night sleeping on the uncomfortable lounge.

However, all of his pain was forgotten when he looked up to see Lily Potter shrugging his black shirt off over her head. She was standing in front of the window and all he could see was the shadowy outline of her curvaceous frame. He held his breath, not wanting to make a sound, not wanting to ruin this perfect moment.

Lily turned and let out a small gasp of surprise when their eyes met. She leant over and picked up her turtleneck, pulling it over her head quickly.

"You're awake? Sorry- I didn't know." She said when her head popped through the wool. She tilted her head to the side, just the way she had when he had kissed her neck last night, and pulled her long ponytail out of her top.

"No- it's okay." Severus said and got to his feet. "Are you leaving?" He asked. She nodded and frowned in response.

"I have a few things to do Severus." Lily said, her voice catching thickly in her throat.

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Not able to ask the question he wanted to. He didn't have the strength to hear her refusal. Suddenly, he wished that he was asleep so he didn't have to witness her coming to her senses before leaving him for good.

"What is it Sev?" She asked, crossing the floor in two steps. A small tender smile played at her lips and she brought her hand up to caress his face, soft fingertips grazing against his morning stubble. Her skin was hot against his and he could not help but lean into her touch. He closed his eyes and summoned his strength.

"Are you coming back?" He asked, voice choked through a throat clogged with emotion. When he opened his eyes again he saw a true smile on her face, one that reached past her cheeks and into the emerald depths of her eyes.

"Yes." She whispered. She leant forward placed her lips on his for a chaste kiss. Before she pulled away he could smell her scent; parchment and musk. "I will tell James on Saturday. I have a few things to sort out before then, but after that?... I'll be back Severus." She whispered as she pulled her lips away from his, her words hanging between them tantalizingly "I'll be back, and then I will be yours." She told him.

As she turned and walked away every inch of Severus was set ablaze by her words. He could barely contain the cry of joy that was desperate to tear free from his lungs. As soon as the door shut behind her he threw himself back on the couch and ran over the events of the previous night in his mind…

After regretfully pulling himself away from her – finally conscious that they had been standing in the rain- he had led her into the lounge room and stood her in front of the fire.

"Wait here," he had said, hoping that it wasn't a mistake "I will be back- I'm going to get you something dry to change into, you're soaked." He raced up the stairs three at a time and bolted into his room. He tore open his cupboard and pulled out the first pair of pants and shirt that he saw before plummeting back down the stairs. The sense of relief he had felt when he had seen her still standing there upon his return was unparalleled.

After Lily had changed into his clothes and they had set hers before the fire to dry she had curled up into a corner of his lounge. He sat on the floor in front of her, one hand placed tentatively on her knee. She sat and cried for a long time, breath hitching as sobs poured out of her. Finally, her breathing slowed the sobs subsided, the tears stopped falling and her eyes turned to ice.

Then she spoke. Once she had begun to talk the words continued to cascade from her mouth, tumbling into the dim night air around her and telling him a tale of the past three years that he hadn't even thought to imagine.

When Lily told him that James had burnt all of his letters he could not find it within himself to rage- even though he knew that he deserved to. The look of loss and utter betrayal in her eyes put a firm stopper in his anger. Instead, he had settled himself on the lounge and taken Lily into his arms. She continued to tell him what hers and James's relationship had become and how it hurt that she had become nothing more than a trophy wife because of the ravages of this damned war.

Her story ended with a depiction of her fight with James and her blind flight to his doorstep. Then she stopped and looked up at him, green eyes as wide and innocent as a doe's, and he knew that it was now his turn to fill the silence.

Much to his chagrin he had little to tell her. The past three years for him had been spent in service of Voldemort, locked away in the potions lab he had set up in the basement of Spinner's End concocting all sorts of brews for his own cause. After the "Mudblood" incident at Hogwarts he had shut himself away- for a while he had even ignored his Slytherin friends.

Later though, the only reprieve he had found was from the Death Eaters. Noticing his penchant for potions and spell-creation Lucius Malfoy had come to him _"You would be invaluable to our cause"_ he had said _"we need someone with your talent. Your genius. We need someone like you to help us make our cause into one that will herald Wizarding kind's new Golden Age. You can be that person, Severus. You can help us."_

The feeling of belonging, the need for acceptance, the knowledge that he would finally be able to contribute to the world in a meaningful way was all he had needed to commit himself to the Dark Lord. However, after years of doing nothing more than using his own resources to brew healing potions and other such mundane concoctions for the Death Eaters he had become disenchanted. It had never been about Voldemort's regime, if he had to be completely honest, after all he was a half-blood himself. It had been about acceptance, about filling a hole in his soul that was left after a pitiful excuse for a childhood and the loss of his one and only true friend.

As he told his story Severus wanted to stop on many occasions. He didn't want to reveal this weakness to Lily. But for some reason, as soon as he started speaking he found he couldn't stop, no matter how badly he wanted to. Towards the end of his tale Lily had pulled carefully out of his embrace. She slowly gripped his left arm and deftly undone the button on the cuff of his shirt. Transfixed with a mix of shame and desire, Severus watched as her soft fingers gently slipped under the fabric of his sleeve and pushed it up. Slowly, painstakingly, the vile skull and snake tattoo was revealed.

She had looked at it for a long time, eyes devoid of any emotions. When the waiting became too much and his nerves were strung more taught than a bowstring he had pulled his arm away. Shame colored his face. She had looked up at him, tears once again twinkling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Her voice barely above a whisper. Something broke inside him and he had to bite his lip to stop the tears from falling. Their eyes locked and his breath became ragged as she leant towards him. "I'm sorry." She repeated, more firmly this time, and then pressed her lips against his.

Severus wrapped his arms around her and their kiss flared into a raging inferno. Desperately, her hands ran over his body, the cotton of his shirt a thin layer that didn't protect him from the heat of her skin. Her kiss deepened and she climbed on top of him, straddling him. He let out a gasp as her hands slipped under the fabric of his un-tucked shirt and her fingers burnt blazing paths against his skin. She settled on his lap further, her entire weight pressing down heavily on him and making him groan. Lily nipped at his lip and he cried out, the shock of the bite sending a wave of pleasure coursing through his body and making him ache for her all the more. He brought his hand up and placed it over hers. Gently, he tilted her head so that he could create a trail of gentle kisses down her soft neck. He opened his eyes and pulled his mouth away from his neck, her face in front of him, her eyes red and bloodshot from a night of crying. Guilt at his selfishness coursed through him and dampened his desire.

"Lily?" He whispered throatily, gently easing himself away from her, her face screwed up in confusion and he smiled ruefully. "Lil- we don't need to rush this." He said, despite the desperate ball of lust inside his stomach that was begging for satisfaction, "You need to sleep, you must be so tired." From the way that her body, previously filled with the glorious tension of their desire, suddenly collapsed onto his he knew he was right. With a longing sigh she slid off him and spread herself across the lounge, burying her head in his lap.

"You're right." She said softly "We have all the time in the world."

* * *

**Shattered**

_25th__of November 1979_

He had hoped that she would come to him on Saturday night. He was impatient for her return. However when the sleepless Saturday night brightened into a nervous Sunday dawn Severus decided to do something more practical to calm his nerves. He put his entire body and mind into getting his house clean. If Lily was leaving James then she would need a place to stay, and his rotten excuse for a house was unfit to play home for her. He spent the morning going over every inch of his house with great scrutiny, scouring every nook and tidying every cranny.

By the midday the house was sparkling clean. It would have given any good hospital a run for its money. If it weren't for the drab furniture it could almost be called homely. Though, if Lily wanted, Severus was happy to let her fix the place up. Now that the house was spotless he had to find a new outlet for his nerves. So he turned to himself. He went upstairs and jumped into the shower, scrubbing every part of himself until his skin hurt. When he stepped out of the scalding stream of water he crossed the hallway in his towel and threw open the doors to his wardrobe. Being very careful not to ruin his perfectly organized room he looked through every item of clothing he owned. Everything was either too old or too worn. With a growl he grabbed the most presentable pair of pants and ran back down to the lounge room. His face hitched in a lopsided grin when spotted what he was looking for. He picked up the shirt that he had given Lily to wear when she was over and brought it to his face- he took a deep breath and could still smell her sweet scent in the black fabric.

"Perfect." He said. He gently rested the shirt back on the lounge and pulled his towel off before stepping into his trousers. Just as he did his fly up he heard a soft rapping on his door. His heart nearly leapt out of his throat at the sound. He quickly pulled the shirt over his head and slipped his arms into the sleeves, relishing the heavenly scent emanating from the fabric. He then bound across the room and stopped at the door, taking a moment to compose himself before pulling it open.

"Lily!" He said, unable to keep the excitement from his voice. She stood there, surrounded by the outside light, glowing like she was part of some wonderful dream. Her vibrant red hair was blowing softly in the breeze, her pale skin radiant in the golden sunlight. His breath sped up and his heart thundered in his ribcage. _She came back! _Unable to restrain himself any longer he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Her lips were stiff against his. Her arms pinned beside her limply. He pulled away quickly and looked at her properly this time. She had dark purple circles under her eyes and her normally magnificent green orbs were dead to the core.

"Lily?" His voice uncertain now. Silent as a ghost she walked past him and into the lounge room. She stopped and her head turned, he could tell that she was looking at the lounge they had fallen asleep on.

"Severus." She sighed, her voice thick with tears, she turned to him and there were tears flowing down her face. "We can't do this."

The world spun around him and his legs felt weak. He threw his hand out and caught the doorframe, using it to steady himself as the room tilted and whirled uncontrollably. After a few minutes the feeling of vertigo subsided somewhat and he looked up to see her walking towards him.

_Why_. He mouthed the word, unable to speak, but she understood it all the same. She closed her eyes and her hand came to rest on her stomach. Was she ill? Severus wondered.

"Severus," She begun, despite the knowledge that what she was going to say would tear him apart, the sound of her speaking his name made his heart flutter with joy. "I'm pregnant."

Severus's brow creased as he took in the news. He frowned and his eyes settled on her hand resting softly on her abdomen. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with James Potter's child.

"I don't care." He said suddenly "I don't care Lily- I love you. Please, stay with me-" he hissed vehemently, unable or unwilling to let her go without telling her.

"But the child is-" She begun, he put his hand up to silence her.

"Potter's. Yes." He waved a hand in casual dismissal of that fact "I don't care. Lily- I need you. You have no idea how much I love you."

"Severus-"

"You can keep the child. If having Potter's child around is what I need to deal with to keep you then I will. Anything for you." He interrupted again.

"Severus!" She cried, shocked "This is my child- not a mere thing to be endured! My child will need a father- not someone who barely tolerates it!" Severus raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Fine! Anything Lily. Anything!" Desperation tinged every syllable, his eyes were wild.

"No Severus." She said voice firm and strong. She crossed the distance between them, her eyes boring into his with an intensity so strong it made him catch his breath. "No."

This time the door frame was not enough to keep him steady. He fell to his knees and his eyes filled with molten tears. Her rock hard refusal beating down every wisp of hope he had felt. He looked up at her.

"Lily- I love you." He said. She looked down at him and her eyes filled with tears. She stared at him for what seemed an eternity, a storm of emotions fighting for control inside her; love, sorrow, anger, despair, regret... A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye before the emerald turned harder than diamond.

"I know. I love you too." She said and pushed past him, walking out of his life for the second time.

The door slammed shut behind her and Severus crumpled to the floor. His entire world shattered around him like pieces of a broken window- the shards of his soul hit the depths of despair and shattered into a million tiny pieces each smaller than the next. The room was filled with a howling of pain and sorrow so daunting that it made his insides freeze and his blood curdle. The keening sound echoed off the walls and reverberated down to the core of his very being.

It was only when he ran out of breath that he realized that he was the one making the sound.

* * *

**Purpose**

_14th__of August 1980_

"You dare make demands of me, Severus?" Lord Voldemort hissed, his handsome face cold with anger.

"No demand, My Lord, merely a request." Severus said with his head bowed respectfully, voice empty of all emotion.

"What makes you think that the information you have is worthy of my time, let alone a reward?" Voldemort asked. Severus bowed so low that his hooked nose scraped the floor.

"I assure you that it is. On my life, My Lord, I swear that this will be worth your while." Severus drawled, voice as hollow as he felt.

"On your life, eh?" Voldemort crooned with derision "That is not worth much to me…. But to you? I suppose it is worth everything."

Severus wanted to laugh- if only Volemort knew the truth he would not be so confident. Severus's life was worth far less to him than anything he owned. He would not even value himself above a scrap of parchment.

"Go ahead then. I suppose I have the time to hear you out… at the very least." Voldemort said, a flicker of hope ticked at his throat as Severus stood up. Pulling himself slowly to his full height he took a deep breath.

"If you vow to spare the life of the mother, I will tell you what I overheard of the Prophecy… the prophecy of the child who will bring about your defeat."

A triumphant look flared behind Voldemort's eyes and Severus knew that the Dark Lord was more than interested- he was desperate. The words gushed from his mouth and with every sentence spoken he felt lighter and more alive than he had in months. When he finished his tale his was out of breath, fingers and toes numb with anticipation as Voldemort regarded him coldly.

"Spare the Mudblood, you say?" Voldemort said, his nose crinkling in disgust "I suppose that is a small price to pay to stop the child."

It wasn't until Severus had apparated back to his lounge room that reality hit him. Hard. He screamed out the anger and despair of the past year, unleashed it upon the room as he ripped books off the shelves and threw them against the walls. He grabbed a lamp on the side table and used it to smash every window in the room, when he was done he cast it into the roaring fireplace without a second thought and turned on the furniture. He ripped the lounges to shreds with his bare hands as he gave into his primal urges, destructive and dangerous.

When he was finally spent he sat in the middle of the room, bloody hands resting in his lap, filled with hatred and self-loathing so strong that he could have convinced himself to stop breathing if he so desired.

But he didn't want to die.

Not really.

Even if the act he admitted was unforgivably craven and evil, he would soon have Lily Evans all to himself.

* * *

**Reckoning**

_31__st__ of October, 1981_

As soft flakes of snow fluttered down into the ruined husk of Lily and James's home at Godric's Hollow Severus Snape walked through the alien corridors of the once happy home. Up the stairs, slowly, calmer than he should be. He walked down the hallway, and turned into the room. He knew which one it was automatically. He could feel what remained of her essence with every fiber of his being.

The unseasonable cold bit hard into his bones and every part of him was numb. He looked over to where the lamplight was streaming in from a gaping hole in the wall, the white glow combined with the snow making everything look like a picture from a macabre story book.

There, by the cot, he could see the place where she had fallen. Bright red blood stained the floor, glaringly bright against the baby blue carpet. The next instant he was there, on the spot where she had died. He curled up into a tight ball and let his emotions take control. A lifetime's worth of broken promises and hollow vows weighed down on him, squeezing the air from his lungs and turning his skin to ice.

Voldemort was supposed to spare her.

Voldemort was supposed to let her live.

But all it took was one look to realize that Lily Potter had died for her son. She dies in front of the cot, the bars bent from where the curse would have thrown her backwards. Her body would have crumpled to the floor in front of the cot. A last effort to protect her child from an inevitable fate.

For Harry, she had made the ultimate sacrifice.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. I wrote this chapter whilst listening to "A Thousand Years" and "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri- they really helped the mood. Thanks to those that reviewed the previous chapter- your kind words are extremely encouraging.

Please feel free to review!


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